As the veil thins and the season turns, we invite you to gather around the hearth and into your hands—returning to an old craft that grounds, protects, and blesses. The Broom Makers Gathering is a full-day seasonal offering for women who feel called to create with intention, connect in community, and celebrate the quiet power of Samhain.
Led by weaver Brenda Vynalek, this immersive workshop invites you to craft two sacred tools:
A hand-held whisk broom in the morning
A full-size hearth broom in the afternoon
Using traditional broomcorn, Brenda will guide you through several time-honored weaving techniques, including the Turkey Wing and Hawk Tail methods, made with your choice of natural or hand-dyed broomcorn. You’ll learn to bind, weave, and shape your besom with care and creativity.
You’ll have access to a wide collection of charms, feathers, beads, and symbolic elements to decorate your broom—or you’re welcome to bring your own sigils, herbs, sacred items, or tokens to weave into your work. These beautiful, functional brooms reflect centuries of craft—each style holding its own form, purpose, and symbolism.
We’ll begin the day in circle by drawing oracle cards to set our personal and collective intentions, led by Kathleen Lowe, founder of Friends of the Forest. Kathleen, who teaches Celtic traditions and forest bathing, will open and close the day in Circle with seasonal wisdom, guiding us through blessings and rituals that honor the sacred rhythms of Samhain.
You’ll start the morning with creating your first broom- a practical and useful hand-held whisk broom
At midday, we’ll gather in front of a stone hearth with a fire for a cozy vegan/vegetarian potluck lunch—a moment to rest, share stories, and nourish one another.
In the afternoon you will move on to creating a full size hearth broom
We’ll gather to close with a gentle ritual to bless and activate your brooms, sending them home charged with meaning, beauty, and presence.
This is not just a craft class. It’s a return to the old ways. A gathering of women, stories, and hands at work. A day to step out of time and into rhythm with the season, the sacred, and one another.
All materials provided. Witch hats warmly encouraged.
You may also like the following events from Friends of the Forest:
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Workshops in Old Lyme,
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